Question 1

Your interpersonal communication instructor typically greets the class with a cheery "good morning." When your instructor omits the greeting and instead launches into the day's lecture, you conclude the instructor must have thought he already greeted the class.You are attributing according to which of the barriers to accurate perception?
A)ignoring information
B)fundamental attribution error
C)imposing consistency
D)overgeneralizing

Accepted Answer

The student is imposing consistency by assuming that the instructor's behavior of not greeting the class is consistent with the notion that the instructor had already greeted the class, rather than considering other possible reasons for the instructor's behavior.

Question 2

You believe that if a person acted a certain way one day he or she will continue to act that way in the future, even though everyone's behaviour varies from day to day.You are exhibiting which of the barriers to accurate perception?
A)overgeneralizing
B)imposing consistency
C)oversimplifying
D)stereotyping

Accepted Answer

The person is imposing consistency by assuming a person's behavior will remain the same, despite potential variations from day to day.

Question 3

When we base an explanation about another person's behaviour based on his or her age, we are experiencing which of the barriers to accurate perception?
A)irrelevancy
B)self-serving bias
C)ignoring information
D)negative focus

Accepted Answer

This is an example of ignoring information, as we may overlook other relevant factors influencing behavior by focusing solely on age.

Question 4

When you friend Susan forgets to call you on your 21st birthday, and you believe that she doesn't care that much about you over her explanation. Which barrier to accurate perception are you experiencing?
A)oversimplifying
B)blaming: assuming that others have control
C)overgeneralizing
D)Sereotyping

Accepted Answer

This is an example of blaming, as the individual is assuming that Susan purposely forgot to call and doesn't care about them. They are not considering external factors such as forgetfulness or a busy schedule.

Question 5

According to the barrier, when imposing consistency,
A)we diminish the effect of external circumstances.
B)we ignore the fact that people's behaviour changes from day to day.
C)we give more weight to negative than to positive information.
D)we treat irrelevant information as if it were relevant.

Accepted Answer

Imposing consistency often leads to ignoring the variability in people's behavior, assuming it remains constant over time.

Question 6

We use the barrier of ________ because we tend to find complex explanations less believable and harder to use to make sense of another's actions.
A)overgeneralizing
B)ignoring information
C)oversimplifying
D)stereotyping

Accepted Answer

The barrier of oversimplifying refers to the tendency to reduce complex information or explanations to a simpler form, which may make them easier to understand but can also make them less accurate or comprehensive. It is possible that this barrier could affect our ability to understand another person's actions by causing us to oversimplify their motives or explanations, leading to a distorted view of their behavior.

Question 7

When we overestimate the consistency and constancy of others' behaviours we are
A)preconceiving.
B)ignoring circumstances.
C)imposing consistency.
D)overgeneralizing.

Accepted Answer

This is known as imposing consistency, a cognitive bias where we assume people's behaviors are more consistent across different situations than they actually are.

Question 8

The barrier focusing on the negative means
A)to distort our attributions to match our like or dislike for another person.
B)to give more weight to negative information rather than positive information.
C)to treat irrelevant information as it were relevant.
D)to treat small amounts of information as if there were highly representative.

Accepted Answer

Barrier focusing on the negative means to give more weight to negative information rather than positive information. This bias can affect our perception of people and situations, leading us to focus only on the negative aspects and downplaying the positive ones.

Question 9

Based on your acquaintance with one member of the campus Camera Club, you draw conclusions about all of the other members of the club.You are experiencing which of the barriers to accurate perception?
A)causation
B)negative focus
C)imposing consistency
D)overgeneralizing

Accepted Answer

Overgeneralizing is the barrier to accurate perception that is being experienced here. Drawing conclusions about all the other members of the Camera Club based on acquaintance with just one member is an example of overgeneralizing.

Question 10

When we are typically unwilling to make sufficient effort to understand another person's circumstances we are experiencing the barrier
A)ignoring information.
B)overgeneralizing.
C)stereotyping.
D)oversimplifying.

Accepted Answer

Oversimplifying involves reducing complex situations to simple explanations, leading to a lack of effort in understanding the full context of another person's circumstances.

Question 11

You tend to explain the motives for a person's actions on the basis of the most obvious information rather than on in-depth information we might have.Which of the barriers to accurate perception is influencing you?
A)focusing on the negative
B)ignoring information
C)overgeneralizing
D)imposing consistency

Accepted Answer

The answer of You tend to explain the motives for...

Question 12

When we place someone in a rigid category and then interpret all the person's behavior from the framework of that category, what perceptual process are we using?
A)imposing consistency
B)sterotyping
C)focusing on the negative
D)oversimplifying

Accepted Answer

Stereotyping involves placing individuals into rigid categories and making assumptions about their behavior based on that category. This can lead to oversimplification and missing the nuances of individual behavior.

Question 13

The barrier to accurate perception called "stereotyping" means that
A)we rely on our pre-existing rigid expectations about others to influence our perceptions.
B)we overestimate the consistency of another's behaviour.
C)we distort information that violates our perceptions.
D)we prefer simple explanations to complex ones.

Accepted Answer

Stereotyping involves relying on pre-existing rigid expectations about others to influence our perceptions. This can lead to inaccurate perceptions because we may overlook information that does not fit our expectations or may interpret information in a way that confirms our stereotypes.

Question 14

When we overgeneralize, we
A)treat irrelevant information as if it were relevant.
B)treat small amounts of information as if they were highly representative.
C)prefer simple explanations to complex explanations.
D)rely on preexisting ideas about causes and effects.

Accepted Answer

When we overgeneralize, we take a small amount of information and apply it to a larger group or situation, assuming that it is highly representative. It involves disregarding other relevant information and making sweeping assumptions based on limited evidence.

Question 15

We compensate for the bias of focusing on the negative by
A)seeking relevant information about another person.
B)refusing to rely on pre-existing ideas about causes and effects.
C)sharing only positive information about ourselves when first meeting another person.
D)considering the validity of complex explanations from others.

Accepted Answer

The answer of We compensate for the bias of focusing...

Question 16

When we place people into inflexible categories and "print" the same judgments on anyone placed into a given category we are experiencing
A)ignoring information
B)oversimplifying.
C)focusing on the negative
D)stereotyping.

Accepted Answer

Stereotyping involves placing individuals into rigid categories and making assumptions about them based on those categories. This often leads to oversimplifying or ignoring important information about the individual, and can result in focusing only on the negative aspects of their personality or behavior. Stereotyping can be damaging and unfair to individuals who do not fit neatly into preconceived categories.

Question 17

Your friend Susan arrives late at your birthday party and explains that she missed the bus. Your other friend, Martin, also arrives late and explains that his cat got out, and he had to chase it down the street, where it promptly hid under a neighbour's porch. He couldn't coax it out, so he had to go back home, open a tin of cat food, put it by his neighbour's porch, and wait for the cat to come out.Once it did, he had to take it back home. You will probably believe Susan over Martin because of which barrier to accurate perception?
A)ignoring information
B)overgeneralizing
C)oversimplifying
D)stereotyping

Accepted Answer

Oversimplifying is when you prefer simpler explanations over more complex ones, making Susan's straightforward excuse more believable than Martin's detailed story.

Question 18

Your roommate spends several minutes detailing the reasons s/he did not meet you for lunch according to the plans you had made.You start tuning out her lengthy explanations.Which of the barriers to accurate perception is influencing you?
A)oversimplifying
B)imposing consistency
C)overgeneralizing
D)negative focus

Accepted Answer

Oversimplifying occurs when we ignore or minimize information that does not fit our existing beliefs or expectations. In this case, the roommate's lengthy explanations may not fit the listener's expectations of a brief apology, so the listener may oversimplify the situation by tuning out the explanations.

Question 19

One piece of negative information can have a disproportionate effect on our impressions and negate the effect of several positive pieces of information.Which barrier to accurate perception does this describe?
A)self-serving bias
B)focusing on the negative
C)making fundamental attribution errors
D)imposing consistency

Accepted Answer

This describes the barrier of focusing on the negative, where a single negative piece of information can overshadow several positive ones and heavily influence our perception.

Question 20

The barrier to accurate perception called "oversimplifying" means
A)we treat irrelevant information as if it were relevant.
B)we prefer simple explanations to complex explanations.
C)we treat small amounts of information as if they were highly representative.
D)we tend to give more weight to negative than to positive information.

Accepted Answer

Oversimplifying means preferring simple explanations to complex ones, which can lead to inaccurate perceptions.

Quiz 3: Interpersonal Communication and Perception

You believe that if a person acted a certain way one day he or she will continue to act that way in the future, even though everyone's behaviour varies from day to day.You are exhibiting which of the barriers to accurate perception?

When we base an explanation about another person's behaviour based on his or her age, we are experiencing which of the barriers to accurate perception?

When you friend Susan forgets to call you on your 21st birthday, and you believe that she doesn't care that much about you over her explanation. Which barrier to accurate perception are you experiencing?

According to the barrier, when imposing consistency,

We use the barrier of ________ because we tend to find complex explanations less believable and harder to use to make sense of another's actions.

When we overestimate the consistency and constancy of others' behaviours we are

The barrier focusing on the negative means

Based on your acquaintance with one member of the campus Camera Club, you draw conclusions about all of the other members of the club.You are experiencing which of the barriers to accurate perception?

When we are typically unwilling to make sufficient effort to understand another person's circumstances we are experiencing the barrier

You tend to explain the motives for a person's actions on the basis of the most obvious information rather than on in-depth information we might have.Which of the barriers to accurate perception is influencing you?

When we place someone in a rigid category and then interpret all the person's behavior from the framework of that category, what perceptual process are we using?

The barrier to accurate perception called "stereotyping" means that

When we overgeneralize, we

We compensate for the bias of focusing on the negative by

When we place people into inflexible categories and "print" the same judgments on anyone placed into a given category we are experiencing

Your roommate spends several minutes detailing the reasons s/he did not meet you for lunch according to the plans you had made.You start tuning out her lengthy explanations.Which of the barriers to accurate perception is influencing you?

One piece of negative information can have a disproportionate effect on our impressions and negate the effect of several positive pieces of information.Which barrier to accurate perception does this describe?

The barrier to accurate perception called "oversimplifying" means